Video Conversion from NTSC to PAL

I assume the conversion is done on your PC. Are you running other software during conversion- I use Studio 10 with a good processor (whatever it is) but still cannot do ANYTHING during rendering or "creating" video.

Yes, on a PC (AMD Athlon 64, with 0.5 Gb of 400 Mhz RAM)

I know Pinnacle Studio, if this is what you refer to, but, no, when rendering anything at all, it's exclusive, nothing else running.

Adobe has a great forum site on video that may be helpful. I do remember reading about about NTC being lower frame first and PAL being upper frame first (or vise versa) and that that made a difference. If your are trying to change "compressed video that may also be a problem. Perhaps others may have more input.

No, I tried it with uncompressed video (about 28 Gb for 60 video minutes), and had the same problems

Keep in mind, when you take away information, you must do so when a cut edit starts-to when the same cut edit ends.

That is where your reference gets lost.

I am talking about sound mainly. And lip-sync with sound effects.

They all have to be treated as clap slates within the cuts. That could never be

done automatically. It must be supervised-visually.

...Gary Toro from NYC.

Yes, I know, the original is synchronised perfectly, and the whole piece is to be converted into the target, at the same format (say, DV), only from NTSC (29.97 fps) to PAL (25 fps)

I got involved in this back at TrueVision doing the Targa 2000. The company was sold (a few times) and now is called Pinnacle and is part of AVID Technolgy.

In your case the formats are Digital (DV) & Compressed(MPEG) making even more difficult. From the discription of theresults I'd guess you aren't syncing properly between formats, and are using poorly related Audio & Video Clocks. The Audio & Pixel Clocks need to be co-derived

I'd suggest finding an old Targa card and a copy of Pinnacle Studio. Add some stripped drives and you have a complete Non-Linear Editor! NLE's are memory hogs!

BTW, this isn't a trivial task. It took quite a few people a few years to perfect the NLEs and transcoding was one of the main proplems.

Thanx wmstutz,

Would you alternatively advice the use of a "One-Stop" Transcoder such as the Canopus ProCoder instead of NLE's?

Do you know of anyone converting NTSC to PAL (or vice-versa) on a regular basis with good results?

yuvalmate,

I can't speak for Canopus or any specific editor since thats not what I do. I can say that their are good SW Codecs but they can have problems of their own. That said, SW Codecs have emerged since PC became fast enough and got faster/wider Bus structures to handle the data and are a viable alternative to the HW topology we used.

You'll still need a Capture Card of some sort and I think the Procoder comes with one. Again, I assume it should be more than adaquate. Before I'd buy one I'd expect the dealer should be able to demonsrate it transcoding whatever format(s) your using.

Bill S

Dear Bill,

...You'll still need a Capture Card of some sort and I think the Procoder comes with one...

I currently do my digital capture on a Firewire port, and Analog capture on a VIVO port by ATI, or with PCTV Pro By Pinnacle.

The mentioned however, is not a capture problem, as the originals to be converted are already as a given file-format, copied into my hard-drive.

The issue with Canopus was, that it was mentioned as a "one-stop" transcoder which has a built-in capability of transforming between NTSC and PAL, only I can't say if it's doing it well enough as claimed, taking into account my previous disappointments in that specific matter. They have no reps in Israel to get a "hands-on" demonstration, so before ordering it on-line, I would need some practical recommendation.

Regards, Yuval

I dont know if I can put down our idea herein. I thnk its out of my depth especially nowa day. the dv develop fast. I can only convince that the perfect convert from ntsc to pal or scam is a difficulty things even today. They have different frequency both line and field. and different signal construction, uv and iq etc. especially pic and audiu syn is a heavy problem. When I worked in film studion. I did lots of job to convert film to tape for tv station. its seems easier, we do it in two ways, either use fly dots scanner or change projector gear to suit for tv frame, as you know film has 24 frame per second. the sound will be vary with speed . of cause change tone to higher, but it can be adopted by most of viewer. Howeverm there are lots fo way to convert two system in tv station they are produced by germany and sony etc companies. I thhnk yu can telephone to your local tv station for help. they must know it very much. another way, you can do it on your computer, use some software, as point abouve person, adoble or pinncle, the later is your isaler you can contct them for resolve. they do good nonlearner editor. however, afgter convertion the pic area will be compression and sometime sound will be change a little, you can modify it at some sound software to adjust its tone and syc. if you are patient and go so far more, you can syc lip etc. although xomplex. you hve to do it at whole scene dont modify during mid editing. most work can be adopted from your 1394 ie firewire. of cuase the qulify of pic hue and tone will be absolutely lost a little. this is do nothing with graph capture caed(adopter card). pay attation. askyour local tv station for help I thk the problem will be soluted. the last way will be play the ntsc tape to your tv set and then from its output terminal you can input to your recorder, you can get bright signal and hue signal and recode in pal system again. its very simplel and nonexpensive.

Dear cnpower,

...if you are patient and go so far more, you can syc lip etc..

I did that too, but it is so much work and sometimes not worth the pay

...play the ntsc tape to your tv set and then from its output terminal you can input to your recorder, you can get bright signal and hue signal and recode in pal system again...

I did something like that: I burned the NTSC to disk, played it, and analog captured it into VIVO as a PAL capture.

I must admit it was some of the best results yet, and it took care of the pic to aud sync problem, but left the jitter with the movement not smooth as problems.

Its really a serious problem and keep you very patient. you know the ntsc has 60fields( 30frame) and pal has 50 field( 25 frames) they have 20% difference at rate. the tone will change more which can be out of hearing tolerance. we can sens it appear tone change at frequency. so you have use some complex reduce and interpolate tech to reduce the problem. you can do it one frame by on e frame. as you know some musican even modify their work one note by one note to get more good song in their workshop. you can use the above metioned Pinnecal nonlinear editor ( this is too expensive I hvnt use ever) or some simple one like ulead which is suit for ameture or some btter sofware like adobe or premier etc. can all reach your goal. another way is re bub at console we also ofter use this way but its translate into our languge. today's tv color set can play anyone of the three system programme I dont kow why you force yourself to do this convert?

...today's tv color set can play anyone of the three system programme I don't know why you force yourself to do this convert? ...

This is what everybody is telling me: "Why do you make this effort? Today's playback equipment is Multisystem anyway"

The thing is that since the local system is PAL, and if I get some material from the USA (or send local material abroad), I have to convert it, because I cannot tell in advance, on what system the edited product will be displayed. I cannot hand my associates material with no lip-sync or jerky movement.

Maybe soon enough this issue of frame-resolution and frame-rate will be universal. Who knows?

P.S, I know and use Ulead video software for many years now, because this Taiwanese firm managed to incorporate seamless Hebrew into it's programs, something many other companies failed to do perfectly.

OK I see what you are insisting on doing that. I think you neednt worry about other cannt indentify your system because if you submit your work to tv station, they have special equjipment to convey these system to suit for airing. as you know the tree main system have been existing for near half century. no problem for their staff to do it. they can do it easily, you just submit, thats enough. these equipment is expensive for your ameture. so you can only take account of get more and better material and edit a story. if you are reaserch of tv equipment. that will be another way. you can study more about it with your math and phsics etc. predict code and pic process is nesscery. some of them out of my depth.I can say nothing .very sorry. I metioned some software, in fact I rarely use them just know a little. I hope can get more time to learn more later. are you making document or news reporting? or story? I recommend you take part in group of filmmaking and tv making, so that you can get more help there. I seem have some emailgourp about jthme. if you are interesting I can send you message on it.

If this is a forum of the said video conversion, then yes please, send it to my mailbox here on CR4, and we can continue contact from there on. Thanks, Yuval